Bialys

From my first visit to New York City in 1978 I fell in love with bialys. A cousin to the bagel and they used to be offered in every deli toasted and buttered just like the bagels. Over the years it’s been harder and harder for me to find them when we visit New York. And finding one with both onions and poppy seeds proved impossible the last time I was there in October.

Bialys cooling.

I have been saving Bialy recipes for years, swearing I would make them. Irvin Lin of Eat the Love made them last August and posted a recipe. Reading food blogs gets things bubbling in my brain on the back burner and somehow this week making Bialys finally bubbled to the top. However, Irvin’s recipe requires making a poolish starter the day before. While I’m certainly fine with doing that, I checked out my other recipes. In Baking With Julia there’s a recipe that can be done all in one day. In fact I got mine done in 3 hours or so, due to some warm sunshine in the kitchen yesterday. The first 6 puffed up into rolls rather than the flatter ones you see on the right.

I had two today. First with breakfast: toasted with butter. Then at lunch I had one that I made into a sandwich with cream cheese, lox, capers and sliced shallots. Delish! Bialy craving vanquished.